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Hi Readers!

How many of you out there keep track of your stats as you play a round of golf?  As a high school and college player I was always required to do so and at first it sounded daunting.  I won’t lie; it took a while to get used to.  Keeping detailed notes obviously slows you down at first, affecting pace of play and the rhythm of mental game.  However, after a few rounds I found myself becoming more involved and tuned in to my stats. How many greens did I hit today compared to yesterday? How many putts did I sink? Did I miss the fairway more to the right or to the left? The list goes on…

Sharon Park, Product Development Manager and engineer of all things wedges and irons here at Cleveland Golf, was back east last week to play in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur in Virginia Beach, Virginia at Bayville Golf Club. Sharon enjoys playing in competitive tournaments every year, and all of us at CG love cheering her on. I sat down with Sharon to hear more about the rainy MidAm and how she’s feeling about flying to Georgia for her next event.

335 PGA Tour wins

26 Majors

1 Wedge

The 588 wedge has been the industry standard in wedge design and performance for over 20 years. The 588 Forged wedge, which maintains the popular, tour-proven shape of Cleveland Golf’s original 588 wedge, offers a series of technological breakthroughs to provide added performance benefits for players of all abilities.

Keegan Bradley is your new PGA Champion, ladies and gentlemen! In his first career major, Bradley took home the Wanamaker Trophy, providing two straight hours of edge-of-seat drama along the way.

“It seems like a dream. I am afraid I am going to wake up here in the next five minutes and it’s not going to be real.” said Bradley in the Press Room after accepting the Wanamaker Trophy.

Keegan’s hard work over the years has paid off. Just two years ago Keegan was on the Hooters Tour just “trying to survive”, living in a one bedroom apartment. Last year he made a name for himself on the Nationwide Tour, finish 14th on the money list and earning status on the PGA Tour. His first career PGA Tour win came earlier this year at the HP Byron Nelson Classic, also in a playoff and has recorded four other Top 10s.

With this win, the Bradley name is added to the uber-short list of Francis Ouimet and Ben Curtis. Those are the three golfers since 1913 to win a major in their first attempt. Keegan Bradley locked up his 2nd win of the year on Sunday in absolutely ridiculous fashion coming down the stretch. At one point, with three holes to play, Bradley was 5 shots back of the lead and the metaphorical fat lady had all but taken the stage for her big solo. A triple bogey on the Par 3, 15th hole left Bradley seemingly out of the Championship, leaving viewers thinking he had a nice week but it wasn’t meant to be. However, back-to-back birdies (including one jaw dropping putt on 17) and a steady par on 18 were enough to force a playoff.

Once the playoff began, Keegan wasted no time extending the momentum he had going from the previous three holes. He started off with a birdie, hitting his approach shot on 16 to 4 feet with one of the more beautiful 8 Irons shots you will see in a major championship. He followed that up with two “run of the mill” pars on 17 and 18 before hoisting his nephew into the air and being surrounded by family members.

So, congratulations Keegan Bradley! You have just joined an elite club! Not only is Keegan now a major champion, he has just vaulted to the top of the Rookie of the Year conversation, as well as making an exceptionally strong case for Player of the Year honors. With this win, Keegan moves to 4th in FedEx Cup points (fellow Cleveland Golf Staffer, David Toms moved to 8th in the FedEx Cup race with an impressive 4th place finish in Atlanta this week as well!) and 29th in the OGWR! Do you think Keegan is a legitimate Player of the Year contender?

Here are the tools Keegan used to win the PGA Championship:

DRIVER: Cleveland Launcher UltraLite TL 310 (10.5°) with a Miyazaki Kusala 61 shaft
FAIRWAY WOOD: Cleveland Launcher FL (14°) with a Miyazaki Kusala 83 shaft
HYBRIDS: Cleveland Launcher DST (18°) with a Project X XHB6 shaft; Mashie TM3 (20.5°) with a Miyazaki C Kua 105 shaft
IRONS: Cleveland CG7 Tour (4-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts
WEDGES: Cleveland CG14 (52°, 58°) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts
BALL: Srixon Z-Star

Balance & Concentration – Sarah Chiuppi

In Sarah’s last article she demonstrated a few warm-up stretches to get us ready for the course. Sarah’s back with a few balance poses that will help you stabilize and strengthen your swing while also sharpening your focus. A key element that is often neglected, balance can easily be practiced each day without need for a gym or driving range.